Cross City Lawyers

Prior to beginning her appellate practice, Kelly L. Rooth was a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Paul H. Roney, Circuit Court Judge of the Eleventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Ms. Rooth was a commercial litigation associate at Holland & Knight LLP and Trenam Kemker P.A. where she practiced civil litigation, including business torts, contracts, unfair trade practices, and creditors' rights. Ms. Rooth is admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Florida and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Ms. Rooth graduated summa cum laude from the University of South Florida in 2000...

Clay Smith has a very diverse background, having grown up in Florida, California, and Iran. Clay attended high school in Stockton, California (Benjamin Franklin) and in Jacksonville, Florida (Ed White and Douglas Anderson School of the Arts). After high school he joined the United States Marine Corps, where he served honorably for 5+ years until his humanitarian discharge to provide living assistance for his younger brother, also a Marine, who broke his neck and was rendered quadriplegic. During the period shortly after his discharge, Clay performed a variety of jobs, including ditch digging. Along the way, he...

Michelle Kalil Taylor is a native and lifelong resident of Jacksonville, Florida. After graduating from Wolfson High School in Jacksonville, Michelle received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida. Michelle continued her education at University of Florida where she also attended law school and obtained her Juris Doctorate degree. While in law school, Michelle was a highly active and recognized member of the nationally competitive Moot Court team. For the past 13 years, Michelle has dedicated her practice defending those accused of crimes. Michelle began her criminal defense practice by immediately serving as an assistant public defender in...